Dane County, Wisconsin

"Dane County" redirects here. For the county in Illinois formerly known as Dane County, see Christian County, Illinois.

Dane County, Wisconsin
County
Wisconsin State Capitol building
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Coordinates: 43°04′N 89°25′W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1836
Named after	Nathan Dane
Seat	Madison
Largest city	Madison
Government
• Executive	Melissa Agard
Area
• Total	1,238 sq mi (3,210 km2)
• Land	1,197 sq mi (3,100 km2)
• Water	41 sq mi (110 km2)  3.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	561,504
• Estimate  (2025)	590,375
• Density	469.1/sq mi (181.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	danecounty.gov

Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 561,504 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin, after Milwaukee County. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital.

Dane County is the fastest growing county in Wisconsin and contains nearly 10% of the state's population, up from about 5% in 1950. It forms the core of the Madison metropolitan area and is part of the broader Madison–Janesville–Beloit combined statistical area.